6 Asian Restaurants Across America That Serve Great Beer

Across the Ohio River from Cincinnati you'll find funky AmerAsia, the home base for Hunan-born, Taiwain-raised chefRich Chu--he learned to cook Sichuan cuisine from the former imperial chef to China's last emperor. In a room festooned with posters for kung fu flicks and graffiti-like murals, Hu makes "kung food" such as plump, pork-and-ginger "dragon's breath" wontons; homemade bean curd used in the wobbly, fiery mapo tofu; and crispy General Tso's chicken that shames its soggy namesake. As for the beer, there's a constantly evolving list of 100-plus bottled from standouts such as Goose Island, Three Floyds and Great Lakes, plus a few choice drafts on tap.

(Credit: Courtesy Thai Me Up)

The next time you shred snow in Jackson Hole, may I suggest a different apres-ski aperitif--the IPAs at the Thai Me Up brewpub, which won several medals at last year's prestigious Great American Beer Festival. The array of bitter beauties includes the perilously easy-drinking, imperial-strength 2x4; the citrusy Melvin; and the strong, piney Colossal. (The Cherry Freak is also an outstanding fruit beer.) Since IPAs can match and complement spicy food, the beers are a great mate for Thai Me Up's solid collection of curries, coconut soups, and stir-fried noodles.

(Credit: Courtesy Cigar City Jai Alai IPA)

Most Thai restaurants offer bottles of Chang and Singha, two of Thailand's most widely distributed lagers, and call it a day. Yes, those ho-hum imports are offered at this Florida restaurant specializing in northern Thailand cuisine (shredded papaya salads, sausages spiced with lemongrass and galangal), but they're joined by a lengthy list of some of the country's best craft beers: stouts and porters from Smuttynose and Lost Coast, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard, and, from Florida's best brewery, Cigar City Jai Alai IPA.

At this point in the craft-beer revolution, most major American cities contain a brewpub or two. But only Minneapolis is home to a sake brewpub, the first of its kind outside Japan. Brewer Blake Richardson, who owns the nearby German-influenced Herkimer Pub & Brewery, takes to the basement to transform rice into eight different fresh sakes dispensed on draft. (The process of brewing sake and beer is pretty similar.) The sakes, as well as a dozen or so craft drafts, are served alongside izakaya-style bites including okonomiyaki, crispy pork belly, spicy beef jerky and miso popcorn. (P.S. In neighboring Saint Paul, you'll find Ngon, where modern Vietnamese cuisine is matched to a lineup of Minnesota-focused craft beers.)

(Credit: Courtesy Mekong Restaurant)

Last year, the Brewers Association's online poll to name the Great American Beer Bar resulted in an underdog victor: this Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond, VA. "Chief beer officer" An Bui curates the daily offerings of 50 taps and 200-plus bottles, including an excellent selection of Belgian imports and sour ales. While the wide-ranging menu of aromatic pho, noodle dishes and summer rolls are terrific, the restaurant's slogan underscores its mission: "Mekong is for beer lovers."

(Credit: Courtesy Far Bar)

Located in Little Tokyo's historic Far East Building (its vertical neon sign touting CHOP SUEY), Far Bar serves an Asian-fusion menu featuring sake-braised pork tacos, sushi, and wasabi fries. They're partnered with great cocktails, Japanese whiskeys and terrific craft beer. The drafts count West Coast all-stars such as Firestone Walker, Drake's, and L.A.'s own Eagle Rock, as well as hard-to-find bottles from cultish producers including FiftyFifty Brewing and Logsdon Farmhouse Ales.

Right now, restaurants and gastropubs serving craft beer are increasingly commonplace, as even chains such as Applebee's and T.G.I. Friday's pour pints from the likes of Great Lakes, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium. Still, craft beer has not been fully embraced by the dining industry, most notably missing from Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese restaurants. Tsingtao and Sapporo--the Budweiser and Coors of the Far East--remain the default pairings for sushi, pad Thai, pho, and kung pao chicken.

But those bland lagers are slowly losing their monopolistic grip. A new breed of restaurants and brewpubs are serving fiery Sichuan fare, herb-laden Vietnamese soups, and Bangkokian curries alongside equally complex and flavorful beers. From Kentucky's AmerAsia to Virginia's Mekong and Wyoming's Thai Me Up brewpub, here are our favorite restaurants where Tsingtao gets the heave-ho.